Holding My Breath: A Novel

By Sidura Ludwig

Book Overview

In her beautifully wrought debut,Holding My Breath, author Sidura Ludwig crafts a bold yet tender coming-of-age tale of family, dreams, and the will to follow one's heart. The only child of a Canadian pharmacist and his wife, Beth Levy grows up with the understanding that expectations can develop early in people's lives, "even before they are born." With that, the little girl senses a responsibility to become the narrator of her family's history, piecing together snippets of conversation, half-told stories, and intimations that waft throughout her Manitoba homestead-her aunt Carrie's resolve to never marry, her grandmother's static grief over her deceased husband, the wanderlust of her young and vivacious aunt Sarah, and the death of her uncle Phil during World War II. But what she believes and what is true are as disparate as the three strong Jewish women that occupy Beth's house, life, and heart. Her mother, Goldie, the oldest sister, harbors a desire for social status that only results in a tacit disappointment, that nothing, not even her daughter, can assuage. Carrie, the middle one, possesses a gentle nature that masks a tragic countenance. The youngest, Sarah, still a teenager, stands poised to take on the world. While Beth seeks out the nurturing comfort of Carrie, who keeps Uncle Phil's memory alive and bestows upon Beth his love of the stars and planets, it is the rebellious spirit of Sarah that most entices the girl. As Beth matures into a young woman, the combination of her aunts' influences pits the old world of her mother's strictures against a new one of exploration and escape. This internal conflict will force Beth to make a difficult choice. With a voice as distinct as it is compelling,Holding My Breathcelebrates the bonds of family and its reassuring traditions as it affirms the uniqueness of the individual on uncharted paths.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0307396223
• ISBN13: 9780307396228
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Crown
• Length: 272 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.5" x 1.0" x 5.5"

Customer Reviews

Beautiful Story

Love this book! So well written didn't skim a word (like I usually do for books that are just ok). Ms. Ludwig told a beautiful story of family similar in many respects to most of ours if we are honest. I really enjoyed reading this book and didn't want to fly through it, I wanted to truly savor the story.

interesting Canadian mid twentieth century historical tale

As a child after hearing the daring exploits of her late Uncle Phil who died flying a plane in Africa during WW II (several years before she was born), Canadian Jew Beth Winnipeg wants to become initially an aviator but then an astronaut. Her parents assume she will outgrow that childish whim as women, Canadian and Jews mean three strikes and your out. However, her life in Winnipeg changes abruptly when her maternal grandmother suddenly dies. Her mom Goldie takes in her younger siblings. Thus as Beth starts elementary school, she suddenly has two older "sisters" with dreams of their own. Teenage Sarah wants to go either to Hollywood or Broadway as she dreams of becoming an actress or a singer. Reticent Carrie who vows no husband ever pushes her younger niece to go for her desires. Meanwhile Beth's parents want her to marry a Jew and raise a family in Winnipeg as her mother wants to reach the pinnacle of Manitoban social strata and believes her daughter through marriage is the ticket. This is an interesting Canadian mid twentieth century historical tale that affirms life goes on whether one faces death, illness, antisemitism or abuse. The problem with strictly adhering to let's move on is that the trauma ends abruptly without deep lasting consequences. This is a charming somewhat compelling family drama as Sidura Ludwig provides a fascinating look at growing up Jewish in Manitoba in the 1950s and 1960s. Harriet Klausner